Dale Carnegie: Icon in Communication and Public Speaking

Dale Carnegie is arguably the most prominent communicator and public speaker. Carnegie’s devotion to public speaking started in his teenage years as a high school debater.

Carnegie studied at Warrensburg State Teachers College in Missouri. He worked with Nebraska’s Armour and Company as a salesman. He pursued his love for acting and moved to New York. He became a teacher in public speaking at the Young Men’s Christian Association.

Later on, Carnegie started to develop his own curriculum in public speaking. He published his public speaking lessons in pamphlets, which were eventually published in books. In his books, Carnegie claimed that public speaking is one of the quickest ways to develop self esteem.

In the 1930s, his book How to Win Friends and Influence People sold more than 10 million copies and instantly became a bestseller. In order to meet the demands for his lectures, Carnegie established the Dale Carnegie Institute for Effective Speaking and Human Relations.

Two maxims are attached to Carnegie. One is, “Believe that you will succeed, and you will.” The other is, “Learn to love, respect and enjoy other people.”